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10 Mile Progression Run, Wedding and Father’s Day

I am amazed at how packed our weekends seem to get in the blink of an eye! I have all these little jobs around the house for my husband to do (that I can’t do b/c I’m a) not handy and/or b) are almost 6 months pregnant) on the weekends, but lately our weekends have been jam-packed with activities, weddings, parties – and the next few weeks don’t show any signs of stopping.

This weekend started with a 10 mile progression run-commute for me, a drive down to Annapolis for a friend’s wedding, and Father’s Day back on Staten Island on Sunday.

Let’s rewind: My younger sister who lives in NYC was coming to Staten Island Saturday night to keep my mom company at our house while she babysat our son. There is no public transportation that would get her reasonably close to our house (with the exception of a slow bus), so the plan was to leave a car at my mom’s (who lives about 25 minutes north of us and close to the train stop) for her to drive when she arrived.

Rather than have both my husband and I drive cars up (with our son) only to turn around and drive back down (which on a Saturday afternoon could take well over an hour), I came up with the idea of a run commute!

The run had to start early since all but about .3 miles was along Hylan Blvd – the main road that stretches the entire length of the island. By 9am on a Saturday, the road would be busy, too busy, for me to be running and so I was up at 430am to start the trek! I was at my mom’s by 6am and was back on the road to our house by 6:20am.

My plan was a progression run – a run where you gradually speed up so that each mile is faster than the previous mile. I seriously love progression runs. And actually, most of my runs naturally end up as progression runs b/c I am a huge fan of starting slow and ending fast. I love them for a few reasons a) they are fun b) I only focus on one mile at a time so the run goes by so fast and c) it’s like a competition with myself!!

I knew I had to start super slow to save my legs and some energy for the end – the first 6 miles of the route were almost completely flat but the last four included a ton of rolling hills.

There were points during the run where I didn’t feel great and felt a little pressure on my belly. But it wasn’t overly uncomfortable and I enjoyed the majority of the run. I will go into more detail this week about my 2nd trimester running (PS. There’s only 1 week left until I start the last trimester – yay!).

I ran based on how I felt – I kept my Garmin on the main screen so I couldn’t see my pace. The only time I saw my splits was at the end of each mile. And despite that, with the exception of mile 4 which was 2 seconds slower than mile 3, it was perfectly executed progression run!

Note: I ran with my phone, ID, and some $ just in case I didn’t feel great, needed some water or needed to use the bathroom (and would have to buy something in the store in order to use their restroom). Thankfully, my precautions were not needed during the 1:25 run.

Little father/son time at Home Depot Saturday morning. Not sure who had more fun - my husband or my son!

Early Saturday afternoon my husband and I headed south to Maryland for a beautiful wedding on the Annapolis Harbor. No pictures from the wedding BUT we did have the privilege to listen to the greatest cover band EVER – The Nerds! I am embarrassed to admit that I’ve never heard of them prior to last night (I seriously live in a bubble). They have been around for 25 years – and they perform ALL over the country!! I’m already trying to convince my two younger sisters to start saving money so they can have them perform at their weddings!

Despite having the freedom to sleep in on Sunday because we were childless and alone in a hotel in MD, we were I was up before 6am!! We I tried to go back to sleep but by 6am, realized it was futile and we decided to make the ~3 hour drive home.

Sunday afternoon was spent bbqing and relaxing at my sister’s – perfect way to celebrate the special men in our lives! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Father’s Day!!

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Have you heard of The Nerds? Or heard them perform?

Are you a fan of progression runs?

If you are an early riser, do you find it hard to sleep in?

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Reminder: Today is the last day to enter the Mizuno Mezamashii Project Shoe Giveaway!!!

15 thoughts on “10 Mile Progression Run, Wedding and Father’s Day”

I have never tried a progression run, but I will now. Did you run straight up Railroad or Richmond? I usually run Railroad.Jen Correa @ Mom’s Gotta Run recently posted..2 Legs Down (literally) & One to Go

I ran up Hylan!! I didn’t think about doing the Railroad…maybe I’ll try that next time!! =) Hylan was not bad at all – the only section that I was just a bit uncomfortable was by Great Kills Park b/c there was no sidewalk =( But it only lasted about 1/2 mile or so and was still super early so there was barely any cars!

You’re so inspiring! I am loving progression runs, too… especially with the crazy heat these days. It’s so much easier mentally to talk myself into a progression run than a tempo outside, and my body is much happier with the gradual increase in speed. Ugh- I wish I could sleep in too! This morning my body actually slept past my normal wake up time, and then my daughter was up an hour earlier than normal. Can’t win. Laura recently posted..Do you incorporatre plyometrics?

I am seriously impressed with your pace. WOW! I love progression runs, I feel like they are such good training for racing. I’ve found that most of my pregnant runs are progression runs: I naturally start slow, all those pelvic muscles loosen up, and I finish fast (depending on the hills around my house and what route I pick). I think pregnancy makes me much more in tune with pacing, running seems more intuitive when I’m pregnant.
I am finding that as I get further along the muscles in my belly are feeling strained (despite tons of planks) and sore after longer runs (6 or more miles). I’m looking forward to what you have to say on 2nd trimester running.Sarah recently posted..Achieving Balance after Bulimia

I am seriously impressed with your pace. WOW! I love progression runs, I feel like they are such good training for racing. I’ve found that most of my pregnant runs are progression runs: I naturally start slow, all those pelvic muscles loosen up, and I finish fast (depending on the hills around my house and what route I pick). I think pregnancy makes me much more in tune with pacing, running seems more intuitive when I’m pregnant.Sarah recently posted..Achieving Balance after Bulimia

I am so impressed of your 10 mile run at this point in your pregnancy! I’m a little ahead of you in my second pregnancy but this is my first to really run throughout my pregnancy (or run/walk) so I would love a post or any tips/insights you have on getting back into running post-baby:)

But yes, after I’ve had my first, I think my body is used to getting up early because I can’t sleep in. Too bad I can’t stay up late though.stephanie recently posted..Week 34